For myself, and by you, absolutely not. However, the fact that you would ask implies your intentions are nothing but nefarious.

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I'm several thousand miles away and have nothing to fear, but even I can tell (thanks to Google Earth and Street View) that with a decent zoom lens one could have taken a similar picture from public property, i.e. the east side of the Meadow St crossing.

Reasonable or not, I feel like there's deeper, longer backstory behind this anger.

I also feel that the focus here should be on even more good news coming from the EBT, not the method or circumstances through which it came.

This is the problem I have with this site. Instead of focusing on the accomplishment at hand, we have arguing and b wording about a photograph.

1. There’s been advising of no photographs INSIDE the roundhouse stall of #16. This was outside, in view of public eye (or at least partly), so this would be fair game.

2. Clearly the photograph taken was taken with permission, as shown by Dave (I believe that’s who that is) posing. The only negative i could see from this was that it was shared 12 hours too early. Which is hardly criminal. If the intent was to release info much much later or not at all, then I would understand. But that’s not the case here.

3. Anyone who actually lives in the area could see the smoke and hear the whistle. There’s plenty of photographs showing just that on the EBT’s Facebook fan group. What’s the crime in that?

If there’s someone who’s leaking information that was never intended to be given away or was leaked well in advance of a planned announcement, then I get it. Say if UP 3985 was supposed to move to Silvis in relative secrecy for safety purposes and someone leaked the routing and date of the move: in cases like that I totally understand. Or if someone leaked the specifics of #16’s testing sessions and the EBTF wants to keep it on the low until the people of the twin boroughs hear it to reduce traffic.

This however is relatively inconsequential to me.

The point is we should be celebrating the test firing.

My snarky comment was meant to tamp down that side if the “debate”. Will I do it? Nope. I have enough to do otherwise and have no inclination to insert myself into other’s business. Epic fail on my part. My apologies.

So, yay for EBT!

"Who published the photo, lets trace him down!"

We in Germany call this Kindergarten.

Mike




PS, and congrats to EBT!

Wonderful to see that EBT #16 is in steam!! #14's overhaul is underway, and track repairs are ongoing, buildings being rebuilt, excursions are running. It's all good!
Who cares about the picture?
Alan
Congratulations to the workers, volunteers and staff of the EBT & FEBT!

Have they ever said what all had to be done to the boiler? I'm guessing from how quickly it's been returned to steam, likely no entire sheets being replaced in the firebox etc?

What about someone not employed by UP or not a party to a secrecy agreement reporting what he or she is able to see without trespassing?

If there was any true reason to maintain "radio silence" over the test firing of EBT 16, given the location of the roundhouse and its visibility from the roads or skies, the parties in question would have needed to erect tarps all around AND OVER the roundhouse. We got drones now, don'tcha know? Oh, and find some way to fire it without smoke or hissing, and DON'T blow the damned whistle.

Or do what the automakers, Disney, etc. do: Paint the test object in bizarre geometric patterns, and then truck it under tarps to an enclosed warehouse or a test track in the Nevada desert.

The only way this hysteria would be justified is if a TV network or the like paid a million bucks or so for an exclusive. Or we're talking filming a sequence for the next "Jurassic Park" or "Top Gun" or "Wild Wild West" sequel.

Before social media was prevalent, I was occasionally invited to advances on "exclusive" stories, rail and non-rail, and politely asked to "embargo" the story until official release. That happened with, among other stories, the acquisition of the EBT from the Kovalchick family. This was usually so an editor could have the story to run in the next issue, right against deadline. In the modern environment, I have occasionally had to point out the utter futility of such embargoes in the social media age.

If you do something like test-fire/run the 16 (or 2926, 3985, 1361, pick a loco) outside in any place where "the public" can see it, no matter how "out of the way" a site like Orbisonia, Cass, Wells, etc. may be, it's an exercise in futility to try to maintain secrecy OR get upset at anyone spilling the beans, no matter what the railroad/authorities may have said at the site. I have to agree with others: the demand for "who took the photo?" is just a personal vendetta by someone upset at having HIS chance for some "exclusive scoop" ruined........

As it's already been pointed out, the locals could see smoke and hear a whistle. Once that happens, you lost the secret!News embargo is a common thing. Lots of historical time-sensitive events were fully covered by media and told to chill until a certain timeframe.
The Invasion of France in WW2 is the best example I know of. Several war correspondents were there, did their stories/photos/film/sound recordings and got them ready for when the Allied command allowed their release.
Meanwhile, German and French media were discussing it just as it happened, so some reporters started complaining that their knew their news outlets in New York were already alerted by the enemy before they could release their own stuff.

Yipes. I think this thread is beyond "beyond ridiculous".

This certainly degraded rather quickly. Makes me wonder why I bother to support anything in this industry.

You're a tower - supporting people is your job.

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